MILAN — It took longer than expected for Ferragamo and Interparfums Inc. to release the first pillar fragrance under their licensing deal, inked back in 2021.
Named “Fiamma,” the brand’s new women’s scent that is to be celebrated with a two-day event in Florence starting Wednesday before officially hitting the shelves starting April 1, also marks the brand’s first fragrance under creative director Maximilian Davis.
“Normally Interparfums is able to launch a new perfume from scratch in 18 months. This time it took us almost three years because with this new blockbuster we needed to send out three messages: a new fragrance, a new time also for Ferragamo and a new logo,” said Jean Madar, chairman, cofounder and chief executive officer of Interparfums Inc.
“It’s not just the launch of a new pillar but also a statement we’re making to the market. It’s a change of time. Ferragamo was a classic brand, we want to enter into quiet luxury, which doesn’t mean shy but it means serious luxury [done] in a subtle way,” said the executive.
Madar underscored the work done not only with Davis but with the Ferragamo family in conceiving the product, best expressed by the choice of the name itself. The name plays on the Italian word for “flame” but also nods to the late Fiamma Ferragamo, the eldest of founder Salvatore’s six children. Known for her understated elegance and considerable charm, she was a driving force behind the growth of the family business as she served as the house’s accessories and shoe designer for almost 40 years.
Davis’ contribution came even before the parties christened the scent, as the creative director was involved in designing the glass flacon.
“Just the bottle took us more than one year to make,” said Madar. “We wanted a classic shape, but Maximilian wanted a more organic bottle. It’s not a round, not a square. It’s not flat, it has some waves, it’s a little concave and convex at the same time. It’s very subtle. When you see it, it looks simple.
“And we decided to [outline it] with a gold metalization, which was very complicated to do because it’s only partially metalized,” he continued. “It’s all about these little details that add on and make the project the most ambitious technically that Interparfums has ever done,” said Madar, highlighting the high-shine gold details and cutout cap engraved with the letter F on the top.
Davis said the fragrance “is the expression of design inspired by the heritage and elegance of the house,” pointing to the bottle’s shape and texture as elements “symbolizing the movement of sensuality and freedom.”
Ferragamo’s new Fiamma fragrance.
Mario Sorrenti/Courtesy of Ferragamo
As for the juice, it was created in collaboration with Firmenich and its senior perfumer Clement Gavarry, who concocted a woody and floral fragrance mixing top notes of white pear with a green heart of gardenia flowers and finishing it off with amber and spicy accents at the bottom.
Madar said the goal was to have “an easy-to-wear fragrance,” not to lose the existing customer base of Ferragamo’s scent. Still, the executive said it was important to have a signature fragrance, with a strong link to Florence — here expressed by the gardenia flower — that could resonate with a target consumer of “power women” aged 20 to 35.
The link with the company’s hometown will be further boosted by the advertising campaign and commercial set against the hills of Florence. Photographed by Mario Sorrenti, model Karolina Spakowski wrapped in a flaming red gown embodies the fresh, confident muse of the scent.
Tasked with reflecting also Ferragamo’s commitment to environmental responsibility, perfumer Gavarry used more than 80 percent biodegradable ingredients in the fragrance, which is designed to be fully refillable in its 100-ml. size.
“Sustainability is very important to Ferragamo,” said James Ferragamo, chief product officer of the Florentine fashion house. “This approach delineates the willingness to innovate our products: embed sustainability principles in the production of fragrances by increasing the uptake of natural and biodegradable ingredients, and a curated packaging, using materials such as recycled glass and responsibly sourced paper.”
The product will be available in the 35-ml., 55-ml. and 100-ml. formats, which will retail at 65 euros, 95 euros and 130 euros, respectively. The refill will cost 90 euros.
Ferragamo’s new Fiamma fragrance.
Courtesy of Ferragamo
The scent will launch in Italy and the U.S. at the same time. In addition to Ferragamo’s stores — many of which will dedicate windows to the fragrance — Fiamma will launch in the domestic market at the Rinascente department store first, before entering 200 doors of perfumery chain Douglas, while in the U.S. it will be available at the likes of Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s and Macy’s. Concurrently, it will roll out in Mexico, before a big launch in Asia at department stores in China and Hong Kong.
Madar said the plan is to have a distribution of around 2,000 doors worldwide and forecast the scent will represent 20 percent of Ferragamo fragrance’s total sales and generate around 30 million euros in retail sales this year, driven by strong performances in the U.S., Mexico and Italy.
“The fragrance strategy is completely inserted in the global group one. In particular, the fragrance business is focused on attracting new customers and reach different audiences,” said Ferragamo, mentioning geographic targets such as Europe, Middle East and Africa, Americas and China.
The investment in media to promote the scent is budgeted to be 40 percent of total sales, said Madar. He added that the brand’s fragrance business generated around $75 million in net sales last year and that since Interparfums took the business, this has grown 20 percent. Key markets for the brand’s fragrances are the Americas, Asia and Italy, accounting for 35 percent, 30 percent and 10 percent of the business, respectively.
Existing successful pillars, which Interparfums decided not to discontinue, have been the main drivers so far. These include the Signorina blockbuster franchise launched two decades ago and that still accounts for 35 percent of total sales, while the men’s scents account for 20 percent of total sales.
“The existing business is very important because we have an established customer and we don’t want to discontinue the other fragrances,” said Madar. “Even if it’s a problem for us, we prefer to manufacture smaller quantities and keep our loyal customers, who have been using these fragrances for years and have been our ambassadors,” said the executive, adding that what Interparfums did at the beginning of the partnership was cleaning up the distribution, instead.
The ad campaign for Ferragamo’s new Fiamma fragrance.
Mario Sorrenti/Courtesy of Ferragamo
As reported, the licensing agreement between Ferragamo and Interparfums was signed in 2021. The deal marked a turning point for Ferragamo’s beauty business as its fragrance division had been managed in-house for two decades.
“A licensing relationship is different from developing a fragrance in-house. We found a partner which is attentive and collaborative, and we work together step by step, respecting each other’s vision,” said Ferragamo.
Madar recalled how the Ferragamo family’s demands before inking the deal included having people based in Italy managing the project. Fast-forward four years, Interparfums can count on a workforce of 70 people locally and a hub in central Milan. This outpost came in handy in securing also the Roberto Cavalli license in 2023, and might allow for further expansion in the portfolio.
“This is not the end, just the beginning, as we think this team can manage even more. So yes, we have plans for more brands and more Italian brands [to have in our portfolio],” said Madar.
Meanwhile, the company is readying the launch of its private label this summer. Named Solférino in a nod to the street where its Parisian headquarters is based, this will be Interparfums’ first line developed not under license and will launch with 12 premium fragrances positioned in the high-end niche category, a hot segment “where today we don’t participate.”
Founded by Madar and Philippe Benacin in 1982, Interparfums Inc. generated net sales of $1.45 billion last year. The company develops, manufactures and distributes prestige perfumes and fragrance-related products for a wide array of brands and manages its business in two operating segments, flanking its U.S.-based operations with European-based ones through its 72 percent owned subsidiary Interparfums SA.
The former’s portfolio includes the likes of Abercrombie & Fitch, Anna Sui, Donna Karan, DKNY, Graff, Guess, Hollister, MCM, Oscar de la Renta, Roberto Cavalli and Ungaro, in addition to Ferragamo.
Listed on Euronext Paris with a market capitalization of almost 3 billion euros, in 2024 Interparfums SA represented around 65 percent of total net sales, generating 880.5 million euros. Interparfums SA’s fragrance licenses include Boucheron, Coach, Jimmy Choo, Karl Lagerfeld, Kate Spade, Lacoste, Moncler, Montblanc and Van Cleef & Arpels. The company, which also owns Lanvin fragrances and the Rochas brand, has recently inked a fragrance license with Off-White as well, which is effective on Jan. 1, 2026.
